[Anonymous]

Need some career help/advice from the lovely another71 family.

So I’ve had the opportunity to work for several public accounting firms over the years, but have come to find it is not worth it. I work well with others and perform my work with great attention to detail, but somehow I do not last longer than one year at a firm because management becomes unnecessarily aggressive with me to the point I feel in danger. I’ve always thought it was part of some sort of training, but this is a recurring event that is concerning.

Regardless of the above, I would like to enter private accounting world and have had the opportunity to interview with a few companies. As you’d imagine, they ask me questions about my previous positions and why I only worked for a year at those firms.

How do I answer this question in an interview? Tell them it was not a good fit? Tell them I was treated unfairly? Tell them it was not challenging for me and was not happy in public accounting?

Any advice on this would be of great help. Or please point me in the right direction to someone who can. Perhaps I can visit career services at my alma mater?

[Missy]

None of the above, ever. Never use negative terminology to describe leaving a job. Say while it was great experience you're looking to… (fill in the blank with what you're interviewing for.)

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

But what if the interview is for a position that requires federal clearance? Don't they do some fact checking?

[Missy]

The chances of you entering industry into a position that requires federal clearance are somewhere between slim and none. Even if you did stumble into such a position, fact checking has nothing to do with why you left a job unless you were terminated for cause and maybe not even then. Even if you're concerns were justified you think a federal check would confirm you were treated unfairly ? Not even remotely likely.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

Well why would they even give me the opportunity to interview? Doesn't make sense.

[Missy]

You've interviewed for positions that require federal clearance? I've worked for DoD Contractors and never been required to get a full on clearance. What are you applying for exactly? Don't confuse a job application asking if you could get a clearance with any indication you'd need one. And again I repeat nothing tou had suggested could be confirmed by a check. You say you were treated unfairly, former employer says otherwise. How is that better?

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

Senior accountant position for a company that does government contracting and builds military equipment, etc. After phone interview they said I will hear from someone by phone within a week. Usually companies just send an email or don't follow up at all if they're not interested.

[Missy]

There are varying levels of clearance for such positions. Yours would be the very minimum, they'd ask names of relatives, maiden names, etc. It seems very invasive but they're not interviewing any of those people not even former employers.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

Hmm ok I hope it works out still, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Thanks mla

[Anonymous]

Use the excuse that everybody has for not wanting to work in public. Never home, never seeing family, intense stress.

[Anonymous]

I didn't go into detail about my previous employers, just more or less stated it wasn't a good fit because I didn't feel challenged. But yea, who knows, maybe they like me. I'll update once I hear back.

[Missy]

And just to clarify my slim to none comment wasn't about your chances of landing a job there but jobs that have a full clearance generally have access to top secret information, and are engineers or scientists or some very specialized position. Possibly some very high level accounting jobs (think cfo) also have access to information considered top secret. Even a senior staff is only going to see information that is public information (you will see contracts, after they've been issued which are almost always public information) so the need for a full top secret clearance check in accounting is almost unheard of. Most likely you'd be more involved in providing your company's cost and pricing data to the government and that's not classified information because the government can't tell a company who they can and can't provide their own financial information to.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[mtaylo24]

Don't expect anything different in Industry. You can put in your best effort, but if they don't like you, they will go out of their way and get extra aggressive to try to get you out….Most Directors and Controllers come from public…bunch of savages

AUD - 1st - 60 (12/12), 61 (2/13), 61 (8/13), 78! (11/15)
REG - 55 (2/16) 69 (5/16) Retake(8/16)
BEC - 71(5/16) Retake (9/16)
FAR - (8/16)

[Anonymous]

Thanks again mla

Mtaylo – I don't think they were being aggressive to get rid of me. But for training purposes. When I interview for public accounting positions I tell them I have an entrepreneurial spirit. So perhaps they are training me to have thicker skin?

Also I'm not a typical accountant, have always been active in sports and weight lifting so maybe because I am not a typical “beta” accountant type, they train me to my personality?

It's all just odd, but even so, the partners and senior managers etc always invite me to the best clients and everything is fine. Then usually during the second half of year is when things change and they become aggressive, but still acknowledge I'm doing a good job.

Not going to lie, this is a recurring occurrence and has affected myself and family pretty deeply. Wish I knew why this is happening.

[CPA50]

Howdy Brickell 🙂

I was fired from just about every job I ever had, mostly for needing to be right and showing my bosses how smart I was. Why should that annoy anyone, I thought. If I'm right, I'm right. It really didn't occur to me that I was just a little obnoxious to work with 🙂

Not to oversimplify it, but do you have ANYONE that you can ask? Find a manager/supervisor, coworker, client, receptionist (they usually know all the scuttlebut) and ask them what happened. It sounds as if there is a pattern here, and the common denominator is you.

It could be that they see you as a free spirit and don't want to put in the time and expense to train you knowing that you are going to leave. Conservative companies like to hire employees who will take direction, not rock the boat, make them look good and stay forever at a low salary.

Look for a company that has the same values that you do and appreciates your entrepreneurial side. There is someone out there who's problem can be solved by hiring you. Your job is to find that person 🙂

Best wishes!

AUD 88 (expired), 80 retake
FAR 64,69,67,73,67,73,73,73, August 3
REG 75 (expired) September 7
BEC 72, 77

The adventure continues...

[Anonymous]

Yea, honestly if I could go back in time, getting an accounting degree and working in public accounting has wasted so much time. I honestly would like the past 6-7 years of my life back.

[Author]

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